Thymoquinone ameliorates bacterial translocation and inflammatory response in rats with intestinal obstruction

Intestinal obstructions might cause mucosal disruption, motility dysfunction, increasing intestinal volume, and intestinal bacterial overgrowth; it might also result in bacterial translocation. Thymoquinone is a bioactive substance that might affect antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of thymoquinone against bacterial translocation and inflammatory response induced by mechanical intestinal obstruction.

Thirty Wistar albino rats (200-250 g) were divided into three groups, as follows: Group 1 (sham), with only ileocaecal junction dissection; Group 2 (intestinal obstruction), with complete ileal ligation; Group 3 (intestinal obstruction+thymoquinone), with complete ileal ligation and given 10 mg/kg thymoquinone intraperitoneally. After 24 h, the rats were sacrificed by taking blood from the heart for biochemical analyses. Peritoneal swab cultures and the liver, mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen, and ileum were collected for microbiological and histopathological examinations.

Thymoquinone reduced the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, oxidative damage, and bacterial translocation, and prevented inflammatory changes in intestine and liver; it also significantly ameliorated intestinal mucosal damage after intestinal obstruction (P<0.05).

Thymoquinone was found effective in successfully controlling bacterial translocation and improving intestinal barrier function.